EFFECTIVENESS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE PROMOTION OF SCHOOL SECURITY MANAGEMENT IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

In this study, the researchers examined the effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in promoting school security management in public secondary schools in Anambra State. Specifically, the study investigated the effectiveness of AI-based surveillance systems and predictive security analytics in promoting security management in public secondary schools. The research was guided by two research questions and two null hypotheses, which were tested at a 0.05 level of significance. The population of the study comprised all 267 principals of public secondary schools in Anambra State. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. A structured questionnaire titled "Effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence in Promoting School Security Management Questionnaire (EAIPSSQ)" was developed and validated by three security experts for data collection. The instrument was organized into two clusters corresponding to the research questions and utilized a 4-point rating scale format. The reliability of the instrument was achieved through a pilot test. The Cronabach Alph reliability co-efficients of 0.91 and 0.78 for cluster 1 and 2 respectively with an overall reliability co-efficient of 0.84. Data were analyzed using mean scores to answer the research questions and t-test statistics to test the hypotheses. Findings revealed that AI-based surveillance systems are effective for monitoring of school premises and contribute to rapid incident detection and response. Furthermore, predictive security analytics using AI tools were found to be effective in assessing risk levels, thereby enabling proactive security planning and threat prevention. Findings also indicated a significant difference in the rating of the effectiveness of AI technologies by principals of rural and urban secondary schools in Anambra State. The study concluded that AI technologies play a vital role in strengthening school security management, but disparities exist between rural and urban areas due to infrastructural and technological limitations. It was recommended that the Anambra State Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Post Primary Schools Service Commission (PPSSC) should support equitable access to AI-driven security systems in all secondary schools by investing in infrastructure, training and policy formulation to guide ethical and efficient use of AI in school security.